Community Engagement Worker in Chester

We are looking for a Community Engagement Worker with lived experience of the criminal justice system to join our inclusive and compassionate Liaison and Diversion service. You will work as part of a multi-disciplinary team that covers the whole of Greater Manchester, providing direct care and support to people from point of arrest through to sentencing. Full training, support and supervision will be provided to guide and enable you to use the skills and knowledge you have gained through your own recovery and rehabilitation and develop new ones. Although we value indirect lived experience of family, friends and carers, for this role direct lived experience is essential.

Responsibilities

• Work alongside people using lived experience and peer support/mentoring to promote hope and support resilience and self-confidence.
• Ensure relationships are built on respect, honesty, compassion and empathy.
• Support independence by recognising and working with people's strengths and assets, e.g., what people can do rather than what they cannot.
• Work as a valued and respected member of the Greater Manchester Liaison and Diversion Team.

Benefits

• Pay Enhancements - 30% additional for Evenings (8pm onwards) and Saturdays; 60% additional for Sundays and Bank holidays.
• 27 days annual leave plus bank holidays, rising to 29 after 5 years and 33 days after 10 years.
• Cycle to work scheme.
• Salary sacrifice car scheme.
• Blue Light Card Discount.

Job Responsibilities

• Use compassion-based and trauma-informed approaches to relationship building and engagement.
• Provide support with attending appointments (health, social and criminal justice) as identified.
• Support access to community groups and networks that enable people to participate in community activities that support wellbeing and personal development.
• Promote opportunities for meaningful activity including learning, creativity, involvement, volunteering and employment.
• Offer choice regarding modes of engagement, i.e., face to face or by phone.
• Hold a caseload and establish and maintain local relationships to facilitate smooth connections.
• Hold local knowledge of pathways to care and support.
• Ensure actions and reflections are informed by the principles of equality, valuing diversity and promoting inclusion.
• Proactively encourage and support service user and carer feedback.
• Work as a team to promote consistency of CEW support to our service users.
• Identify and elevate concerns relating to people's safety, safeguarding and risk.
• Participate in forums (team meetings, huddles, supervision) that support effective communication, appropriate escalation of issues, safe working practices and opportunities for learning.

Qualifications

• Good level of secondary education.
• Willingness to work toward attainment of NVQ 3 or equivalent in relevant subject.
• Completed Trust Level 2 Peer Mentor Training.
• Willingness to undertake further training in line with the development of the role.

Lived Experience

• Lived experience of the Criminal Justice System.
• Evidence of pro-social behaviour (e.g., empathy, actions that benefit others).
• Experience of working in a team.
• Experience of training, teaching, coaching/mentoring others.
• Experience of using a range of self-management or recovery tools and techniques.

Skills and Knowledge

• Good written, verbal and non-verbal communication skills.
• Willingness to use the Trust IT systems.
• Able to relate to a wide range of people.
• Knowledge and commitment to service user's rights.
• Professional in appearance and behaviour.
• Able to manage conflict and to help others to do so.
• Ability to maintain a healthy home/work life balance.
• Good team-working skills.
• Willingness to reflect on work practice and be open to constructive feedback.
• Ability to work in an enabling and creative way.
• Ability to manage stress and to plan and prioritise workload.
• Ability to carry out practical tasks.
• Computer literate.
• Experience of participation in service user involvement and consultation work.
• Experience of being supervised.

Other

• Demonstrate a commitment to respecting and displaying the Trust Values at all times.
• Ability to travel independently across agreed areas of Greater Manchester in a timely manner.

This post is subject to the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act (Exceptions Order) 1975 and as such it will be necessary for a submission for Disclosure to be made to the Disclosure and Barring Service (formerly known as CRB) to check for any previous criminal convictions.

£25,760 to £27,476 a year per annum pro rata.